MUSEUM NIGHT. This Saturday, May 18, 2024, is the 20th edition of Museum Night. The event takes place in different cities in France, including Paris, Lyon, Nice, Toulouse, Bordeaux and Lille. Our selection of outings not to be missed.
[Updated May 18, 2024 at 2:00 p.m.] Organized by the Ministry of Culture, the European Night of Museums takes place this Saturday, May 18 in the evening, giving visitors the opportunity to discover for free the riches of the collections of more than 1 000 museums at unusual times. European Museum Night is a unique opportunity to discover museum collections in a different way and to be surprised by unique events. It is also an excellent opportunity to spend an evening with family or friends, while discovering the cultural heritage of your region.
The museums will exceptionally open until midnight, allowing visitors to discover the works in a different way. For example, a narrated tour, an introduction to drawing, or even a sound and light show. There is also a specific theme for each year. The 2024 edition offers “The class, the work!” where students from high schools, middle schools and primary schools act as mediators on a work studied during the school year.
Available on data.culture.gouv.fr, the map from the Ministry of Culture lists all the establishments participating in Museum Night. You can locate museums by region or department. You can also search by accessibility equipment and services, so that all audiences are taken into account. This could be, for example, a motor, visual or hearing disability. In addition, the site offers practical information on the various cultural activities organized.
Within the Paris metropolitan area, there are more than 200 establishments participating in Museum Night. Among these, we find the Louvre Museum, which offers, among other things, the following activities:
In the 9th arrondissement, you can also go to the Gustave Moreau museum for a self-guided visit or a theatrical evening. The latter does not require any reservation. Another idea for an outing: the National Library of France (BNF) museum. You can consult certain works there or appreciate historical collector’s items, such as Charlemagne’s chessboard. This, without forgetting the exhibition dedicated to the invention of the Renaissance. As for the Musée d’Orsay, it offers the discovery of the permanent collections, as well as an immersion in virtual reality. Ideal for seeing or revisiting, in the heart of the capital, the work of the great impressionists, these 19th century artists.
On the occasion of Museum Night, the Île-de-France region also presents many ideas for discovery. In Saint-Rémy-lès-Chevreuse (Yvelines), the Raymond Devos house museum offers an investigation aimed at a young audience. The goal? Finding some lost objects by Raymond Devos. In a different register, the national archeology museum and the national domain of Saint-Germain-en-Laye (Yvelines) are organizing an outdoor light and shadow show. A unique opportunity to discover the architecture of the city’s castle in a unique way.
For an unusual activity in Saint-Arnoult-en-Yvelines (Yvelines), the Elsa Triolet-Aragon house offers a blind visit to soak up the atmosphere of the place and the writings of the author couple. Each participant wears a blindfold! In terms of creative arts, you can go to the Albert-Kahn departmental museum in Boulogne-Billancourt (Hauts-de-Seine) to take part in a workshop for making tealight holders using recycled materials.
During the twentieth edition of Museum Night, the Lugdunum archaeological museum invites you to participate in the design of a giant fresco. This will be built using Lego bricks. A workshop dedicated to the pixel art technique is also organized, with the illustrator Theoschu. In collaboration with the Albedo company, the Gadagne history museum offers a wandering and disruptive show that directly involves visitors. As for the museum mediators, they tell stories and anecdotes as part of the animation “History in a mess”.
During Museum Night, a detour to Fort Vaise allows you to discover a poetic concert to immerse yourself in the imagination of Lucas Zambon. The stage is also open to all participants. With musical entertainment and theatrical compositions, the Lyon Museum of Fine Arts gives carte blanche to students of the Lyon Conservatory to enjoy a free tour of the premises.
During Museum Night, the Bordeaux Fine Arts Gallery is preparing a flash visit, in 30 minutes flat, around the work of Valérie Belin. The opportunity to discover the photographs, as well as the creations of the visual artist. The Bordeaux contemporary art museum also offers numerous activities and entertainment. These include:
At the Aquitaine Museum, students from the Camille Jullian high school perform a public reading of the tales of Charles Perrault. This discovery takes place throughout the evening, continuously. At the same time, Olympics are also organized, for adults and children. The program includes board and physical games, as well as photo sessions. Rewards are provided for those who participate in all the events on the circuit.
Among the various establishments contributing to Museum Night, the Marseille Natural History Museum offers a free tour of the “Dogs and Cats” exhibition. This is enhanced by a fun journey, with interactive and sensory experiences around our four-legged companions and their way of perceiving the world around them. As for the Marseille history museum, it organizes different activities:
During Museum Night, you can also go to the Marseille contemporary art museum, in the 8th arrondissement. The students of the Périer high school are organizing a public reading of literary and poetic works. Alongside the texts told, dance demonstrations are also planned in dedicated spaces.
For Museum Night, the Lille Palace of Fine Arts is preparing numerous activities dedicated to culture and artistic creations. This is particularly the case for the following activities:
In an unusual register, you can participate in the lively night of the candle. This takes place at the Lille Schools Museum, where a discovery of light projection tools and an old-fashioned snack also take place.
Another idea for an outing: a detour to the birthplace of Charles de Gaulle, where guided tours in period costumes are featured. They are organized every fifteen minutes. Finally, the Comtesse hospice museum offers free strolls through the collections, the atmospheric rooms and the medicinal garden. This, without forgetting flash visits and introductory yoga sessions.
As part of Museum Night, the Bintinais ecomuseum in Rennes is organizing several activities around Breton culture and legends. We can imagine a nighttime storytelling walk, where the visitors’ route is lit by the light of lanterns. Film screenings for young people, treasure hunts and vigils are also on the program. Note that pancake and pancake stands allow you to eat.
In Rennes, the Musée de Bretagne offers an introductory engraving workshop. The exhibition “Quel toupet!” creates vegetable hairstyles for visitors who wish to take part. With the collaboration of the TéKiToi association, makeup sessions are also planned, around the theme “El dia de los muertos”. As for the Champs Libres area, you can enjoy a jazz concert dedicated to New Orleans, browse the stalls at a flea market, and take part in board games. Karaoke sessions are other ideas for entertainment during Museum Night.
For a dive into Roman Antiquity, the Nice Archaeological Museum offers a visit to the Cimiez site. Using your smartphone, you can then complete a digital and interactive quiz. Museum Night can conclude with a screening of the film “Monty Python: The Life of Brian”. In the heart of the old town, the Palais Lascaris is participating in the “Class, work!” project. around the creations of the Trachel brothers. A concert by the OPA association (Azuréen Plectrum Orchestra) is also organized, as well as flash tours of the ceremonial salons.
At the Matisse museum, educational workshops are presented around work on dimensions, done by students from the Bellanda nursery school. A guided tour allows you to appreciate the Tatah exhibition in a different way on a selection of pictorial and sculptural works by Matisse. To discover radio performances, live shows and traveling mediation activities, go to the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Nice. A meeting around Yves Klein is also planned during Museum Night.
Museum Night 2024 marks the twentieth edition of the event. For this year, it takes place on Saturday May 18, 2024 throughout France, as well as in Europe. Depending on the museum, several activities are offered during the day, from the morning or during the afternoon. However, the official start begins at 6 p.m., and the event most often continues until midnight, possibly 11 p.m. or 1 a.m. for certain establishments. Here again, it all depends on the organization of the museums themselves and the events planned.
As a general rule, Museum Night takes place towards the end of May, more precisely during the third week. Depending on the context and organizational constraints, however, there are exceptions, such as the 2020 edition, which took place in mid-November, or the 2021 edition with a date set at the beginning of July. Hence the importance of finding out about the official date each year so as not to miss the event.
Museum Night is a free event for all visitors. This is an element of appeal to appeal to and reach different audiences, particularly those who are not used to this type of cultural discovery. The activities and entertainment organized on this occasion are also free. Please note, some of them require prior registration to participate in the workshops.
In addition to the previous link to locate participating museums, you can find practical information via another interactive Museum Night map. Carry out a search and consult the program of museums near you. Available in different languages, the official Museum Night website also includes information on the program and general organization of the event. Don’t hesitate to turn to the museums themselves or the participating cities to prepare your cultural evening.